Kerala’s Responsible Tourism wins global recognition for women empowerment, rural growth

Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas inaugurating the five-day Kerala Responsible Tourism Festival. Also seen are Tourism Director Sikha Surendran, Sreedhanya Suresh Rupeshkumar K, CEO Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society; K R Cleetus, Ward Councilor; Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Councillor; Jose Pradeep, Chairman KTM Society, M R Narayanan, President, South Kerala Hoteliers Union; and Peeja Rajan, State coordinator UN Women.

Kerala’s Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative has earned global recognition for strengthening women’s empowerment and supporting the rural economy through sustainable and inclusive practices, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the five-day Kerala Responsible Tourism Festival, the Minister said that nearly 80 per cent of RT units in the State are led by women, reflecting the success of Kerala’s gender-inclusive tourism model and its alignment with the United Nations’ Gender Inclusive Tourism policy.

At present, Kerala has around 26,000 Responsible Tourism units, directly benefiting nearly 1.5 lakh families across the State through various RT Mission projects, he said. To further promote women entrepreneurship, the State government has earmarked ₹4 crore in the Budget to provide loans of up to ₹15 lakh at a concessional interest rate of four per cent. In addition, 50 per cent of the total budget allocated to the RT Mission has been reserved for women-led initiatives.

Responsible Tourism has become an integral component of Kerala Tourism’s accelerated growth in recent years, the Minister noted. Owing to its innovative and community-driven approach, Kerala Tourism has won around 14 national and international awards for its RT initiatives.

The RT Mission has also enabled diverse tourism experiences such as agri-farm tourism, food tourism, and projects linking tourism with cultural and ecological conservation. These initiatives have helped elevate rural destinations like Kanthalloor and Beypore to the global tourism map, the Minister added.

Tourism Director Sikha Surendran said more than 20,000 people have been given training and skilling in various domains through RT Mission. The initiatives have been inclusive of local communities and are aimed at strengthening rural economy and social and economic empowerment of women.

Rupeshkumar K, CEO Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society said RT Mission has facilitated the economic uplift of rural communities as many villages are now part of RT tourist destination.

Published on February 12, 2026